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Gesshin Uraku White #2 240 Gyuto

This knife represents something unique at it's price. White #2 steel is not commonly found in many knives with good factory handles. The handle is wider with a good seal on the tang. The ferrule is nicely aligned. It's not a perfect flush job but it's so close to being perfect that such a minor detail is quite superficial.

The second unique aspect is that the grind appears to be pretty good. Polishing the blade with a 1k stone revealed pronounced waterwheel marks. However they were consistent and did not seem to reveal any peaks and valleys. This constitutes a good grind. That is something that often comes with a higher price point.

It will take a lot of work to fully polish the edge but it is a detail that costs more money. Because the overall grind is pretty good, polishing the edge shouldn't be too much of a chore. There is enough meat on the knife to allow polishing without having to re-profile too much. The knife has a flat spot, but it also has a belly to it. Not like a Shun beer belly, but there is some gut.

The third and final unique aspect of the knife at it's price point would be the quality of lamination in the core steel and mild steels. I suspect this knife is a production knife that uses pre-laminated steels. Since white #2 has a narrower range of temperatures attention to detail is essential. But good heat treat with poor lamination makes for a noodle knife and that is no fun.

The Final Verdict: A white #2 steel knife with a handle that doesn't suck under 200$ is probably a bargain. Mostly the knife achieves function over form with a good price. The factory edge was suitable for a day of work. Refining the edge reveals waterwheel grind marks. Polishing to a high lustre won't improve retail value, but it will enhance pride of ownership

Also anybody who wants to know...yes the knife is reactive. The KU finish is easily rubbed off with a green pad...With a 1k stone and an Aoto I got a very good edge with enough bite to make good draw cuts on tomatoes.

This knife represents something unique at it's price. White #2 steel is not commonly found in many knives with good factory handles. The handle is wider with a good seal on the tang. The ferrule is nicely aligned. It's not a perfect flush job but it's so close to being perfect that such a minor detail is quite superficial.

The second unique aspect is that the grind appears to be pretty good. Polishing the blade with a 1k stone revealed pronounced waterwheel marks. However they were consistent and did not seem to reveal any peaks and valleys. This constitutes a good grind. That is something that often comes with a higher price point.

It will take a lot of work to fully polish the edge but it is a detail that costs more money. Because the overall grind is pretty good, polishing the edge shouldn't be too much of a chore. There is enough meat on the knife to allow polishing without having to re-profile too much. The knife has a flat spot, but it also has a belly to it. Not like a Shun beer belly, but there is some gut.

The third and final unique aspect of the knife at it's price point would be the quality of lamination in the core steel and mild steels. I suspect this knife is a production knife that uses pre-laminated steels. Since white #2 has a narrower range of temperatures attention to detail is essential. But good heat treat with poor lamination makes for a noodle knife and that is no fun.

The Final Verdict: A white #2 steel knife with a handle that doesn't suck under 200$ is probably a bargain. Mostly the knife achieves function over form with a good price. The factory edge was suitable for a day of work. Refining the edge reveals waterwheel grind marks. Polishing to a high lustre won't improve retail value, but it will enhance pride of ownership

It cut's good. The more the edge gets polished with the 1k the more grind marks are revealed. As far as the blade material it's very even across and not ambitiously ground off like some laser knifes.

I'd consider it a compact 240. It's reactive as all hell and really needs a patina. Once the KU is off. One thing that they appeared to do very well is seal of the tang, so water contact should be minimal. I really like the handle. It's wide and comfy. The fit and finish is basically much better than any other carbon knife on the market. You pay an extra 30-50$ for a handle that is very good and a grind that won't leave you frustrated sharpening.

Also the cladding is stiff and not jumpy like other less expensive gyutos. It seems to be able to take a good edge I use stropping motions from heel to tip and reverse the bladew following opposite pattern. It becomes toothy and aggressively stable.